December 19: As for me

As for me, I will call out to God, and the Lord will deliver me. During the evening, morning, and noontime I will lament and moan, and he will hear me. He will rescue me and protect me from those who attack me, even though they greatly outnumber me… Throw your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the godly to be upended. But you, O God, will bring them down to the deep Pit. Violent and deceitful people will not live even half a normal lifespan. But as for me, I trust in you.  (Psalm 55:16-23 — New English Translation)

This psalm deals with the subject of life and death, deliverance from enemies and hell (the Pit), and the constant power and presence of God. Not only is David speaking about his own experiences, he is prophesying about what the Lord Jesus will go through a thousand years later. David’s suffering and his need for God to rescue him makes this psalm one that we can easy apply to our own lives.

It’s interesting how he says, “As for me, I will call out to God, and the Lord will deliver me.” We can decide to believe, but we can’t force others to believe or to have faith in God. We have to decide what we are going to do, that we’re going to call out to Him, and that He will deliver us. This confidence has to be a part of our lives. Few things are sadder than a Christian that isn’t confident about calling out to God in his time of need and being answered. Doubt doesn’t mix with faith, and so our lives have to be characterized by faith in a mighty God.

But even though we have faith and are bold, there are times that we lament and moan. At those times we are being honest with God, crying out to Him, explaining our situation, and yet, in the same phrase David can say that God will hear him. Sure we moan, but we never abandon our foundation of faith in God. No matter how outnumbered we are, we know that God is bigger than our problems, and so we refuse to be afraid.

In the end, God wants us to trust in Him. No marriage can survive without trust, no country’s currency can maintain its value without trust, and we cannot survive the storms of life without trust in God. Don’t worry about violent, deceitful people—just trust in God.